Defining Love
by EmeraldGreen and SapphireBlue
Summary: What is love? What is its meaning? Join as Neji and Sakura try to define love with some exciting twists and turns. After all, defining love can’t be that difficult, right?
1. Yin and Yang: The Start

**Note: **Hey there people! These are EG and SB (EmeraldGreen and SapphireBlue). This is our first fic together so be kind, okay? This is one long story so sit back, relax, and enjoy. The story is AU-ish coz Orochimaru isn't evil here. He is the… Better read it. Don't wanna spoil it for you.

**Summary: **What is love? What is its meaning? Join as Neji and Sakura try to define love with some exciting twists and turns. After all, defining love can't be that difficult, right?

**Pairings:** NejiSaku with some NaruHina, KakaKure, ShikaIno, and GaaOC

**Rating: **Some swear words and curses. A little green-ish but not that perverted. Rating may change. Its rated PG-13.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. I hope I do but I don't.

**

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Extensive Japanese Word Bank: **

-chan – familiar suffix used between friends and family (for girls)

-kun – suffix used when addressing a young person (for boys)

ne? – Isn't it? Haven't we? Haven't you? Etc.

Kitsune – fox

Naruhodo – I see, indeed

More words will come later.

**

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Defining Love**

**By: EmeraldGreen and SapphireBlue**

**Chapter I - Yin and Yang: The Start**

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Haruno household… 

What was love?

That was the question pink-haired medic-nin Haruno Sakura always asked herself. What was love? After living for approximately twenty-three years, eleven months, and three hundred twenty days, how can she not define love?

Anyway, why was she asking what love meant?

Sakura looked at the calendar posted on her kitchen wall. _February 14_. The date was encircled. She sighed heavily. All her friends had dates, or wives, for Valentines Day. Ino had Shikamaru. Kurenai had Kakashi. Tsunade had Jiraiya. Tenten had Lee, better known as Fuzzy-Eyebrows (Sakura had no idea, absolutely no idea, how they got together.). Shino had a girlfriend. Asuma had a non-nin wife. Shizune had a fiancée. Even shy Hinata had loudmouth Naruto.

Where was her date?

Oh, her date. Hahaha. Date? Who needed dates anyway? Haruno Sakura, honored apprentice of Tsunade, top medic-nin in Konoha, a possessor of a high IQ level besides Shikamaru, one of the most dangerous kunoichi of Leaf Village, and probably the hottest, didn't have a date for Valentines Day. Oh sure she had admirers. She had an army of them running after her. But she had dumped all of them. Sakura wanted her date to be special and not just some smoker hanging out in the weirdest places.

Sakura sat on a chair and thought of what to do. Maybe visit the Yamanaka flower shop? But Ino was too busy dating Shikamaru. What's she going to do there? Engage the flowers in a one-sided conversation? Oh please. She wasn't that insane.

What if she visits Tenten's weapons' shop? There she goes again. What is she going to do there? Murder herself? Konoha Mental Hospital was the place for her if she does that. Well, if nobody stops her from killing herself.

Perhaps she can go to the Hokage's tower and train? Train with whom? Tsunade was out with Jiraiya. Who said old people can't date? How was she gonna train without a mentor? Was she, the most expert medic-nin in all of Konoha aside from Tsunade herself, mentally damaged?

She then reached a conclusion that Valentines Days were unlucky. Of course when she was young, she didn't think Valentines Days were not fortunate. On the contrary, she thought they were the best days in the whole wide calendar. She always thought they were the most excellent days of the year because that was the time when Sasuke accepted her gifts with a simple 'Hn'.

Sakura's face darkened at the thought of Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke. The guy who left her for power. The guy who left her to kill his elder brother. The guy whom she loved (emphasize the _d_) with all her heart.

**_Hey, hey. Cheer up._He_ isn't here._**Inner Sakura told her.

Sakura smiled a little. After some brainstorming, she finally thought of something to do. It was explore Konoha and see the beauty of it. She rushed to her front door and put on a white coat. It was still a little bit cold although winter had passed. Springs weren't that warm in Leaf Village.

After putting on her coat, Sakura stepped out of her house. Or mansion. When she as eighteen years old, her parents died in an S-ranked mission to kill the infamous Uchiha Itachi. But they got killed instead. Their bodies were found at the center of a big crater with holes at their guts. Sakura's eyes watered a little at the memory of seeing her parents' dead body before she hurriedly wiped them away. Shinobi weren't supposed to cry. They were just tools and should not express emotions. But that wasn't a rule Sakura had to follow. Or wanted to follow. Call her a rule breaker. Sakura smiled when she recalled the day Tsunade gave her the Haruno mansion.

"_Hello there, Sakura." The blond Hokage greeted her apprentice._

_Sakura bowed down low in respect before responding in a hoarse voice, "Good morning to you too, Hokage-sama." Tsunade pointed to the chair before her desk and indicated the pink-haired medic-nin to sit down on it. Sakura did as she was told._

"_I'm sure you know what happened to your parents…" Tsunade's voice trailed off as Sakura began to shed tears. The Hokage stood up, walked behind Sakura, and patted her back. "I'm also sad, Sakura. Your parents were friends of mine. Condolence, my apprentice."_

_Sakura's shoulders shook before she wiped her last tears. Getting up, she bowed low again and muttered softly, "Thank you, Hokage-sama. I'm now ready for what you are going to tell me."_

"_Good." Tsunade boomed as she sat back down on her high-backed Hokage's chair. She got out a few papers and handed them to Sakura. The girl nervously took the papers she was being handed to and after a few seconds of silence, the kunoichi's eyes widened._

"_Amazing, isn't it? Never knew you had that amount of riches, did you?" Tsunade questioned the girl before her with red lipsticked lips curved upward._

"_What…? I…I don't understand…How come…?" Sakura asked as her chest heaved up and down. This was going to cause her heart attack. _

"_Calm down, Sakura. I know that is quite big. I'm certain that you're familiar with that address. I'm sure your friends and you have trick or treated there."_

_Sakura looked at her worn out feet miserably. "I didn't have friends before."_

_Tsunade looked pitifully at the fragile girl before her. "I know. I have been informed. Anyway, the house there is all yours."_

_Sakura's jaw dropped. "That…That mansion…? I thought…I thought you were just letting me tour it?"_

"_A lot of people die from wrong impressions."_

_The pink-haired medic-nin rolled her emerald eyes. "Yeah, right. So how did I get this house? I never knew that it belonged to us."_

_The Godaime cleared her throat. "Ahem! So let me tell you. Your parents didn't know they owned that house as well. They were informed just a year ago. I think your grandmother from your father's side kept it a secret. Maybe she doesn't want others to know the Haruno family owned that house. Using a genjutsu, she made it look like a haunted mansion. Only Haruno clan members have the power to dispel that jutsu. If you're going to ask why your parents didn't tell you earlier, here's the answer. They never wanted you to know. They always wanted you to live in your current house."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because Orochimaru is your maid." A deafening silence followed Tsunade's last sentence. Suddenly, Sakura burst into a nervous fit of laughter._

"_HAHAHA. Orochimaru is my maid? You've got to be JOKING me!"_

_Tsunade smiled at her student. "Glad to have made you laugh. Your parents didn't want you to live there because they believe that the place has too many dark secrets. But they wrote it in their last will and testament that you should inherit the mansion when you achieve the age of 18. Anyway, good luck with your new house."_

_Sakura smiled at Tsunade, her eyes crinkled despite its puffiness. "Thank you, Hokage-sama, or I should say, Tsunade-sensei. I will remove the genjutsu later." She bowed politely before walking to the door and opening it to leave. But Tsunade stopped her._

"_Sakura?"_

"_Yes, Hokage-sama?"_

"_Happy 18th birthday."_

_Sakura exited the Hokage's tower with a smile on her face. A smile that had not been seen for quite some time. Nope. The house, or mansion, wasn't the reason why she was smiling. It was because it was the only time she realized that she had many friends._

Gathering her wits, Sakura started walking. Her eyes met several couples. Some had their hands intertwined. Others had their arms linked. She even saw a couple kissing under a cherry blossom tree. Sakura sighed sadly. Ever since the Uchiha avenger left, Sakura never accepted any dates. Lee, Naruto, and even Kiba tried but she all refused them. Sasuke's departure was a major blow to her ego.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Confessions said in honey sweet voices were heard.

"_I love you, Sasuke!"_

Sakura shook her head profusely. She recalled the day when she begged Sasuke not to go. The day when she confessed to him. The day when he threw her love away just for power and vengeance.

_"I…If you go…I…I'll scream…"_

Her stupid memory was acting up again. A voice was haunting her. The voice of a silly and weak little girl who constantly chased an ignorant and snobbish guy. Why couldn't she forget him? What was wrong with her? Why can't she forget that…that day…?

Covering her ears to prevent hearing any more unwanted sounds, Sakura ran and ran until she collided with something solid resulting her to stumble backwards and fall down on the ground. Sakura looked at the offending thing she bumped.

Or rather person.

"Watch where you're going, woman!" The voice said harshly.

"H-H-Hyuuga-san?" Sakura stuttered. She wasn't stuttering because she was afraid of Neji. No. She was stuttering because of the fall. Why would Haruno Sakura be afraid of Hyuuga Neji?

But Neji misinterpreted it and thought she was afraid of him. His lips curved into one of his infamous smirks. "You should watch where you're going then, woman. If you know what's good for you." Then he walked away with both his hands inside his pockets.

Sakura wasn't what you call a girl with a long patience span. Thinking Neji was threatening her, she stood up and ran to the Hyuuga, attempting to knock him down. But her attempt was futile because a rock was in her path, making her fall face forward, instinctively grabbing the closest thing she could reach.

Neji, assuming that Sakura was going to attack him, turned around and bent a little to get into his defensive position but he still hadn't gotten out his kunai when Sakura's body crashed on top of his, which resulted to both of them toppling over.

Neji lay with his back pressed on the ground. Sakura rested on top of him with her abdomen pressed on his. Their cheeks were pressed and the corners of their lips met. Neji's hot breath tickled Sakura's ear but she was too shocked to move. Both of their cheeks burned bright red.

They could've easily stood up and walked separate ways erasing the embarrassing moment from their minds but the situation worsened.

"Oh…My…Gosh…" A voice, a very irritating and high-pitched voice, squealed.

"Sakura-chan…?"

"N-N-Neji-nii-san…?"

"Too troublesome…"

"Don't look, Akamaru!"

"Arf!"

"Scribble, scribble, scribble…New edition of Icha Icha Paradise, here I come!"

"Is this a live re-enactment of my Icha book?

"My apprentice…?"

"Sakura-san…"

"Your flames of youth are acting up, my dear teammate."

Then there was a flash of blinding light. A flash of very, very blinding light. After the lights dimmed, Neji and Sakura were horrified to see Lee, Tenten, Ino, Shikamaru, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, Kiba, Shizune, Hinata, Naruto, and Shino all staring at them with wide eyes. The two quickly stood up and turned away, hiding their flushed faces.

"Sakura-chan, is he molesting you?" Naruto demanded angrily as he pulled up his orange jacket sleeves and stomped his way toward Neji with blazing eyes.

"Ah…no…No Naruto-kun…Ano…He…He wasn't molesting me…It was an…accident…" Sakura hastily excused. Naruto stopped walking toward Neji and grinned his foxy smile.

"Sakura, you should be proud of it! Hyuuga-san and you nearly kissed! Oh my gosh!" Ino squealed as she jumped around and hugged her best friend tightly.

"Too troublesome…" Shikamaru quoted.

"Sakura-san, I know you're single and all but you're still young! You can still find another one better than that Hyuuga!" Kiba spat.

"Are you saying that I'm not good?" Neji growled. He cracked his knuckles and advanced towards Kiba. He was supposed to beat the living hell out of the poor Inuzuka but Tsunade stopped him.

"Stop it right now, Hyuuga. It's a good thing to know that you two are close. I need to talk to both of you." Tsunade stated as she walked towards the Hokage's Tower. Sakura and Neji followed with puzzled eyes.

The two walked behind Tsunade with scattered thoughts. What did Tsunade mean by them being close? What was its importance? What did Tsunade want to tell them? Whatever it was, both of them shared a very nasty gut feeling that it wouldn't be good.

"Make yourselves at home." The Hokage said as she sat comfortably on her chair behind a huge mahogany desk filled with papers of all sorts. Neji and Sakura took the seats near the door for a quick and easy getaway.

"Why did you call us, Hokage-sama?" Sakura inquired.

"If that doesn't have no importance, I still have to go and train." Neji uttered monotonously as he stood up and walked towards the door but Tsunade threatened him.

"Neji, I'm sure you wouldn't want me to forbid you from taking missions, do you? Cover even one inch outside my office, say bye-bye to your missions." Tsunade spoke in a falsely sweet voice.

Neji gritted his teeth before following the blonde's instructions. "This better be important." He said in a hiss.

"It's a hell lot important, Hyuuga-san. It will mean the growth of your clan." Tsunade whispered with an evil grin.

"Hokage-sama, I still need to do something. Please get down to the point." Sakura pleaded, not understanding the Godaime's previous sentence.

Tsunade nodded. "Fine. Hyuuga Neji, I'm assigning you too…"

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Author's Note: Hey! This is chapter one of "Defining Love"! We sincerely hope you like this first chapter and please review it! Constructive critisicms are allowed just please not be too hard. Thank you and good day.

Sincerely yours,

EmeraldGreen and SapphireBlue


	2. Assignment

**EG: **Okay! So here's chapter 2 of Defining Love!

**SB: **Yeah! Here it is! Lights, camera, action!

**

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Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto.**

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**Defining Love**

**Chapter II - Assignment**

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**Hokage's Tower…**

Tsunade nodded. "Hyuuga Neji, I'm assigning you to…"

"Sakura-chan!" A certain hyperactive blond yelled as he barged in the office of the Hokage.

"Get. Out." Tsunade growled dangerously.

"Hey there, old hag!" Naruto yelled in greeting as he noticed Tsunade. And the next part was a bit full of violence so let's better not discuss it. After the incident that proved Tsunade's sadism, the Godaime dusted her hands and sat back on her chair.

"So…Let's get down to business. Hyuuga Neji, I'm assigning you to be Haruno Sakura's bodyguard until I tell you to stop being so."

Instantly, there was an uproar. Neji stood up, walked towards Tsunade, and banged his fist on the mahogany (and expensive!) desk. "Repeat what you said, woman!" He snarled.

"I said, be Sakura's bodyguard until I tell you to stop being so." Tsunade replied quite calmly although a few veins popped in her head for the Hyuuga's rudeness. Neji walked to a corner and sulked there after confirming what he was told to do.

"But Hokage-sama…" Sakura argued.

"Sakura, do you want to keep on being my apprentice?" Tsunade questioned the young Haruno.

Sakura nodded meekly. "Yes, Hokage-sama." She replied in a tiny voice.

Tsunade smirked a little. "Good. Neji and Sakura, this is an A-class mission. If you don't do this one, I'm going to remove you from your current positions right now and suspend you from being a ninja for a year. That includes no training." Tsunade added as Neji smirked but then frowned.

"Hai." Both the Hyuuga and Haruno answered.

"Excellent. Neji, I want you to transfer to Sakura's apartment after this small talk. Right away. I want you to guard her for twenty-four hours. Non-stop. Go with her everywhere. Never loose her. Always keep an eye on her. Except for going to the bathrooms of course. Sakura's my apprentice. I know what she can do." Tsunade explained.

Sakura blushed at Tsunade's comment. "May I ask why he should guard me, Hokage-sama? And…why my apartment?"

"Your mansion is getting more and more dangerous, Sakura. I assume you have an apartment. Transfer to that apartment right away. Your mansion is going to be checked for any signs of danger." Tsunade responded.

That got Neji's attention. "What happened in the Haruno mansion?" He questioned.

"I believe that a maid's dead body was found there. Apparently, the maid was passing by Sakura's room. The attacker, mistaking her for Sakura, murdered the poor unfortunate soul." The Hokage murmured apologetically.

Sakura placed a hand on her mouth. "They…They never told me…"

"They didn't want to worry their Haruno-sama for they saw her looking very apprehensive and always deep in thought. Anyway, enough of this chitchat. Neji and Sakura, collect your things and transfer to the apartment right away."

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**Sakura's apartment…**

Neji and Sakura had completely transported their most valuable stuff the Sakura's apartment minutes ago. Sakura sat wearily on one of her beanbags while Neji roamed her apartment.

The place turned out a little bit cramped but not that restricted. It was definitely fit for only a person. But…yeah. Maybe two people. It had wallpapered beige walls and brightly lit hallways. At first, Neji admitted, he thought the apartment was colored pink. But to his great surprise, it wasn't. Good thing though. Neji wasn't prepared to live in a _pink _apartment.

"Hyuuga-san," He heard Sakura call from a room. Grudgingly, he walked towards the said place to answer her needs.

"What, woman?" He asked as he leaned on the doorway and started to study the female Haruno's bedroom.

Again, Sakura surprised him by having creamy white surroundings. He expected it was pink. But maybe Sakura was tired of pinks? The room was down-to-earth and not that big. A normal sized bed covered with pallid comforters occupied most of the room. Two wooden night tables were at the either sides of it. A simple wooden closet and dresser were situated near a door, which Neji guessed, led to her bathroom.

Sakura's faced turned stern at what Neji called her. "Manners, Hyuuga. My name is not woman. My name is Sakura. Sa-ku-ra. Get it?"

Neji rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. I'll call you Sakura."

Sakura's face softened. "Thanks. Neji-san, where are you going to sleep? Are we still going to follow Tsunade-sama's rule? Are you going to stay here with me as I rest?" She asked as her cheeks reddened. She began fixing her already fixed bed so the Byakugan holder won't notice.

Neji's face flushed too. "What do you expect, woman-I mean-Sakura?"

"It's your decision." Sakura answered as she shrugged.

"Then I'll sleep here with you." Neji replied simply.

"But there isn't much space. Are you going to fit in here?"

"We have to follow orders."

"Where are you going to sleep? I mean, if you sleep on the floor, you would get frozen and catch a cold. Mind you. It begins to get very cold, as in negative two hundred seventy-five and fifteen hundredths (absolute zero if you listen to your classes), in here by the time the sun disappears. Besides, you wouldn't rest comfortably there. I assure you of that."

"Then I will sleep beside you."

Sakura's head snapped up. "We're going to sleep side-by-side, as in like, sleeping in a bed together?"

Neji mentally slapped himself. He glared at the pink-haired girl before him. She's making it sound like he's going to try something on her. But there was no backing out. Suddenly getting a devilish idea, he smirked at her evilly.

"Well, yeah. Don't you want that, Sakura?" He mocked.

"NO!" Sakura yelled as she blushed furiously.

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Neji watched television as Sakura went to her kitchen to cook supper. He dug the remote from the Haruno's sofa and turned the flat screen TV (Wow!) on. The programs turned out to be none too interesting. They were just dumb kiddie shows. Did this woman even have cable?

_Beep…_A channel up…

"I love you, you love me. We're a happy family…"

_Beep…_Another channel up…

"Blues Clues, Blues Clues. You gotta find the last paw print, that's the third clue. You put it in your notebook…"

_Beep…_Yet another channel up…

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are. Up above…"

Smash! 

Neji stood up threw the remote to the other side of the room making it explode into bits. He sat down on the couch. What did this woman do for entertainment? Watch TV? Nah. Her television was a capital _B-O-R-I-N-G _(emphasized a million times)

"I hope you aren't destroying my apartment. It would be a sorrow to find this place into bits. Anyway, dinner's ready."

Sakura's head popped out of the kitchen as she invited the Hyuuga member to eat with her. A vein or two popped in Neji's head while he gritted his teeth. This girl…no…this woman was _so _annoying. How on earth was he going to last in an apartment with an irritating lady around?

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Stare…

_Stare back…_

_Glare…_

_Glare back…_

"What the hell is your problem, Sakura?" Neji roared as he stood up from the kitchen table and banged his knuckles on its surface.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at the angry Hyuuga. Who said that Hyuuga people were tolerant, proactive, quiet, and clam? Because they were certainly WRONG! Neji wasn't tolerant. He was close-minded. Neji wasn't proactive. He was passive. Neji wasn't quiet. He was always shouting at her. And most certainly was Hyuuga Neji not calm. He was always throwing fits and tantrums.

"Thank you for finally calling me by my wonderful name." She replied calmly.

More veins popped in Neji's head. "Don't mention it. Just stop staring and everything will be fine." He said through gritted teeth.

It was now time for the veins in Sakura's beautiful pink head to start popping. There he was, threatening her again. "You aren't threatening me, are you?" She asked angrily.

Neji smirked, conscious of heating Sakura's head. "What do you think, dumb b(censored) h?"

Without warning, Sakura jumped across the table and tackled Neji resulting to both of them falling down the floor. Neji, not wanting to lose to a girl, rolled to be on top of the angry woman. Sakura, not up to losing, hooked Neji's ankle and flipped. In the end, Neji won and sat Indian-style on top of Sakura's back. Sakura hmphed madly and blew a short pink strand away from her face.

"I hope you don't try to fight me again, Haruno." Neji warned as he stood up, extending a hand to help Sakura.

Sakura accepted Neji's hand and pulled herself into a standing position. "No, I won't." She answered while scowling.

"It isn't fit for a beautiful girl like you to be scowling." Neji reprimanded her. At once, he bit his tongue. Where on earth did that come from? But there was no point denying…there was a huge point denying that Sakura was beautiful! Really!

Fortunately, Sakura didn't notice and instead walked back to her place and continued to eat. Following her lead, Neji slumped in his seat and consumed his food.

* * *

Nighttime… It was finally time to go to bed. Neji entered Sakura's simple bedroom and rested his strained body on the Haruno girl's bed, facing the door that led to the bathroom. Neji was about to close his tired eyes and catch forty winks when a door opened revealing the pink-haired medic-nin.

Neji inwardly gaped at Sakura. The girl was wearing a knee-length black nightgown with spaghetti straps. Her nightgown was a bordered with flower designs. It was a bit see-through but the floral patters made it look decent and cute. Neji inwardly cringed. Cute wasn't in his vocabulary. Nope it wasn't. Oh yeah it wasn't. Sakura wasn't cute so he was staring at her. Right.

"Hey. Stop staring. It's making me conscious." Sakura said as a light red blush graced her cheeks. Neji scoffed angrily before closing his eyes and pretending to sleep. Sakura, thinking that Neji was in his dreamland, climbed up her bed and covered herself with the white comforters, immediately falling asleep.

Neji, meanwhile, was wrestling with his…erm…humanity. He stopped himself from looking at the innocent and sleeping Sakura. But just a peek at her sleeping form would do. Just a tiny little peek. A teeny bit peek won't hurt, right?

Neji turned around and looked at Sakura. Maybe peeking was wrong. Now he can't take his eyes off her. Sakura stirred a little and a strap of her dress fell down from her shoulders exposing a tiny bit of…

Neji immediately resumed his previous position. Eyes away from Sakura. Neji was only Sakura's bodyguard and not lover. Neji's role in Sakura's life was only a protector. Nothing more, nothing less. It burned Neji's insides, anger bubbling in him. Sakura can never be more than a friend for him.

Why was he thinking those thoughts anyway?

Maybe, just maybe, Hyuuga Neji was falling for Haruno Sakura.

**

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EG: There it was!**

**SB: **Was it nice? Huh? Huh? HUH?

**EG: **(sweat drops) Ha ha. Just don't mind her. Anyway, please review this fic. It's for us to continue writing it.

**SB: **Ja ne!


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